Dr. Wayde Compton

Biography

Wayde Compton was born and raised in Vancouver. He studied English at Simon Fraser University and worked closely with notable writers like George Bowering and Roy Miki. Compton is recognized for his involvement in writers' groups such as the Tads group and Runcible Mountain College study group. He co-founded the Hogan's Alley Memorial Project, a grassroots organization aimed at public recognition of Vancouver's historical Black community, and the Hogan's Alley Society, which succeeded it. In 2006, he established Commodore Books, which is Western Canada’s first Black Canadian literary press. Compton has published six books and edited various literary anthologies. His collection of short stories, 'Outer Harbour', won the City of Vancouver Book Award in 2015, and he received the National Magazine Award for Fiction in 2011. His works have been finalists for the City of Vancouver Book Awards and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Compton has held writer-in-residence positions at Simon Fraser University, Green College at the University of British Columbia, and the Vancouver Public Library. He has taught English Literature and Creative Writing at several institutions including SFU, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Capilano University, Kwantlen University, Douglas College, and Coquitlam College. From 2012 to 2018, he administered the Creative Writing Program of Continuing Studies at SFU, which included the award-winning Writer’s Studio. Compton has read and presented at various institutions across Canada, the United States, and overseas.

Research Interests